NJ Gubernatorial Debate Watch Poll

We need your help to create a buzz!

On Thursday, October 1, independentvoting.org/CUIP is sponsoring a Debate Watch to give New Jersey independents an opportunity to weigh in on the first scheduled debate among the three candidates for governor - the Democratic incumbent, John Corzine, his Republican challenger, Chris Christie, and the independent candidate, Chris Daggett.

This is the first time a qualified independent has ever been included in NJ's gubernatorial debates! We've created a Debate Watch poll that we'll use to project the voice of indies in the race while continuing to build our growing base in the state.

Over the past few weeks we've been reaching out to independents in our network as well as doing cold call polling to indies in NJ - where 46% of all registered voters are independent - to invite them to participate in Thursday's Debate Watch. Both sets of calls are going extremely well. Our goal is to have 100 NJ indies taking part in Debate Watch.

Here's how you can help us to get the word out. Do you know someone in NJ - colleagues, clients, friends, relatives - who might want to participate?

Use the above link to take the online poll.

The debate will take place at 8 pm on all network channels and WNJN will re-air it on October 4.

And of course if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call: 212-609-2800.

Thanks so much in advance!

Michael H. Drucker
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African American Day Parade in Harlem

Thanks to the Hankster for this post.

Dr. Lenora Fulani leads the NYC Independence Party contingent in the African American Day Parade in Harlem, September 20, 2009. "Vote independent, Bloomberg on C".


Michael H. Drucker
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Independence Party of Richmond County Chairman's Reception

I and 49 other independent and independent leaning voters and candidates attended The Independence Party of Richmond County's Sixth Annual Chairman's Reception Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at Ruddy & Dean's Restaurant.

Among them were Borough President Jim Molinaro, Congressman Mike McMahon, Councilmembers' Kenneth Mitchell and James Oddo, Justice Phililp Minardo and North Shore Civil Court candidate Lindy Marrazzo.

Executive Committee members delivered a report on the growth of the party in Staten Island citing a 33% increase in party members over the last 2 years. The program also included a letter from Mayor Bloomberg which read in part: "Independents are the fastest-growing bloc of voters in our City: I should know, because I'm now one of them! And over the next two months, I hope you'll join me in working to make history on November 3rd - by electing New York City's first-ever independent mayor! That would be a victory for all independents, and it would allow us to continue our work to build a more open and inclusive democratic process, a more effective and successful government, and a stronger and safer City."

In her remarks County Chair Sarah Lyons said that the Independence Party was in a unique position this year with two independents, Bloomberg and Molinaro, running at the top of the party's line. "We wanted to break the mold and build a genuinely independent party - not one that belonged to either the Democratic or Republican parties. We've accomplished that. We're Column "C" on the ballot and the "C" stands for community because that's who's made this party a success -- people from the diverse communities that make up Staten Island and New York City -- from the most privileged communities to the poorest. Now it's time to put all we've built to use and pull out a big vote on election day for the Bloomberg/Molinaro ticket. Not only are they both independents, they have track records of putting partisan interests aside to get things done. That's what being independent means - putting community first."

Borough President Jim Molinaro spoke of his long history of crossing party lines in order to support what he felt was the best candidate and of his initiative to bring together the four other Borough presidents on a regular basis. "I believe in doing a coalitional style of politics. That's what I've always done and that's what I'll continue to do."

Dr. Lenora Fulani, a founder and builder of the Independence Party, remarked "One of the ways that the Independence Party broke the mold is we built a party from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Not all independents agreed with that. No one has fought harder for grassroots democracy inside the party than all of you in Staten Island. You inspire me."

Michael H. Drucker
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Primary Night with Mayor Bloomberg

As a member of the Independence Party, the State Representative and member of the Manhattan Executive Committee for the 73AD (Eastside of Manhattan), I collected the signatures on the Eastside of Manhattan to put Mike Bloomberg on Column "C" for his third term as Mayor. I attended his Primary Night Party.



This is Bloomberg's Independent Vision Ad.

Mike Bloomberg's independent leadership has kept crime at record lows and improved our city's schools. Mike's strong leadership and his Middle Class Affordability Plan, which will offer a new prescription drug card to lower costs, expand financial aide for hard-working middle-class students, and open new doors to bring companies and jobs to New York.

Michael H. Drucker
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2009 African American Day Parade

Michael H. Drucker
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Urge President Obama to Fill Vacancy on FEC with an Independent

During last night's conference call with Jacqueline Salit, New York, NY, the President of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. (CUIP), a longtime journalist, political strategist and “on the ground” organizer and the Executive Editor of The NEO-INDEPENDENT magazine, we were asked to join this effort. Here is a letter Jackie and her counsel wrote to the President about the current openings on the FEC and why they should be filled by independents.


President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

We write on behalf of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party/IndependentVoting.org and our local affiliates in 37 states. We believe that the time has come to appoint one or more independents to the Federal Election Commission and hope you will do so.

As you know, the American electorate has changed dramatically since the FEC was created in 1975, part of an effort to reform our country’s political process. In many respects, your election as President was a statement by the American people that we must find ways to create a new political culture. That change is happening “on the ground” in significant ways. For example, 39% of Americans now self-identify as independents, a startling fact in a system that is so totally anchored to two major parties. And, the institutions which regulate the electoral process must more accurately reflect the electorate. It is no longer the case that bi-partisanship can be equated with non-partisanship.

The Federal Election Campaign Act states that no more than three Commissioners may belong to the same political party. Since 1975, every president has adhered to this statute by ensuring that the FEC was comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans. This arrangement has rendered the FEC largely dysfunctional and has left millions of Americans without a voice in administering our democracy. It is not a healthy situation for those who choose to be Democrats and Republicans to have representation on the FEC while the 39% of the country who choose to be independent do not.

Mr. President, our appeal is not just an abstract plea for fairness. As currently constructed, the bi-partisan bias of the FEC has produced decisions which have impeded the development of democratic initiatives which emanate from independent voters and the third party or third force sector. At a time when many are seeking new and innovative forms of political expression and identity, the FEC has taken positions that reinforce the political status quo, whether by setting restrictive contribution limits for non-party actors, failing to police the conduct of the nationally televised presidential debates, or barring unorthodox independent coalitions from qualifying for public financing.

Your appointment of an independent or member of a third party to one or two of the remaining two FEC vacancies would be an important step in remedying this unfortunate situation. Independents from diverse segments of our movement will come together to prepare a list of candidates for your consideration if you give us the signal that you will entertain this request.
You have reached across party lines in making appointments to your cabinet. Our government is the better for it. We value and respect that. And we urge you to apply the same high standard when it comes to choosing the stewards of our country’s most valued asset: our democracy.

Sincerely yours,


Jacqueline Salit, President
IndependentVoting.org

Harry Kresky, Counsel
IndependentVoting.org

cc: Hon. John McCain, Hon. Russell Feingold


Add your voice to call for the appointment of an independent to the Federal Election Commission. Use these links to contact the White House and your Senators.

Contact the White House

Contact Your Senators

Michael H. Drucker
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Ask the G20 to go to Africa

We know Africa has the potential to be an economic engine of the 21st century and must be a part of the global economic recovery. Now we need to convince the world. As the leaders of the twenty wealthiest and most powerful nations meet in Pittsburgh for the G20 Summit, September 24-25, we must convince them to hold an upcoming summit in Africa and focus the world on Africa's opportunities and promise.

Use the above link to sign the petition.

Michael H. Drucker
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Dr. Lenora Fulani at the 2009 Caribbean West Indian Day Parade

Thanks to the Hankster for this video of Dr. Lenora Fulani at the 2009 Caribbean West Indian Day Parade. The NYC Independence Party Organizations' were supporting Mayor Bloomberg's run for a third term on Column "C".


Michael H. Drucker
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NY Easy to Vote & Easy to Run

Mike Bloomberg announced his "Easy to Vote & Easy to Run" plan to transform the City's election system over the next four years. The plan will make it easier for New Yorkers to participate in the democratic process by reforming New York's antiquated ballot access laws to enable more candidates to run for office and give unaffiliated voters greater ability to participate in the democratic process, creating a New York City "Democracy Index" to assess the administration of elections in New York City, and urging Congress to pass laws that enable automatic registration of all eligible voters and to move Election Day from Tuesday to the weekend.

Key Elements of Mike’s "Easy to Vote & Easy to Run" Plan:

- Create a "Democracy Index" to Reform NYC’s Election System: The city’s "Democracy Index" will include metrics that assess the effectiveness of the election administration process, focusing on easily comprehensible and quantifiable performance outputs related to registration, voting and tabulation, rather than complicated policy inputs. For example, the index will measure how long voters must wait in line and how long it takes for voter registrations to be processed.

- Make 311 NYC’s Voting Hotline: Mayor Bloomberg will work with the City’s Board of Elections to enable 311 to field all election-related requests for information, including questions regarding poll site location, absentee ballots, and complaints about election administration or fraud.

- Support National Voter Registration Modernization: To boost voter turnout while making our election administration less costly and more efficient, Mayor Bloomberg will support the federal effort to automatically register all eligible voters, also known as "Voter Registration Modernization." This important reform would save the Board of Elections time and money that it can then put towards preparing for Election Day.

- Support Federal Effort to Institute Weekend Voting: To make it easier for voters to exercise their right and to increase voter turnout, Mayor Bloomberg will call on Congress to pass the Weekend Voting Act, sponsored by Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Congressman Steve Israel of Long Island, which seeks to shift Election Day from Tuesday to Saturday and Sunday. In polls, one quarter of eligible voters who failed to vote blamed scheduling difficulties.

- Halve the Signature Requirement for the Petitioning Process: In order to make it easier for candidates to qualify for a spot on the ballot, the Mayor proposes changing State election law to halve the number of signatures required to the lesser of (a) 2.5% of the party voters in the district or (b) half of the current number required under State law.

- Streamline Ballot Access Requirements: After consulting with good government groups, the Mayor will propose State legislation that would significantly simplify and streamline petition requirements by eliminating the arcane, technical rules that currently exist. The legislation will set a higher threshold for disqualifying petitions and candidates, and streamline the process for correcting errors.

- Open Up Petitioning Process to Independent Voters: Independent voters represent nearly 20% of the electorate and are the fastest growing group of voters in the city. To enable them greater participation in the political process, the Mayor proposes changing state law to enable independent voters to gather and sign petitions for candidates that are members of a political party.

Use the above link to read more about the plan.

Michael H. Drucker
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CA Rep Party Wants to Exclude Independent Voters from Primaries

The California Republican Party holds a statewide meeting in Riverside County, September 25-27. The meeting will consider a change that has been rejected by the party repeatedly during the last decade. The proposed rule change would say that independent voters could no longer vote in the party's non-presidential primaries for public office.

If the party votes for this exclusionary change, it might be required to seek the approval of the U.S. Justice Department. California is partially covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, because Monterey, Kings, Merced and Yuba Counties are covered.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in (Lopez v Monterey County, 525 US 266 - 1999) that a state that is partially covered by section 5 is, in effect, wholly covered.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in (Morse v Republican Party of Virginia, 517 US 186 - 1994) that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act covers political party rules changes, when that rules change affects who can vote in a party nomination procedure.

Update
On September 11, Jon Fleischman, a vice-chair of the California Republican Party, announced that he has withdrawn his agenda item from the upcoming state party meeting, that would have barred independent voters from voting in Republican Party primaries (for all public office except President). Fleishman had been trying to pass his idea for the last several years, without success. Thanks to Ballot Access News and Steve Rankin for this update.

Michael H. Drucker
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NY Opportunity-to-Ballot

In NY, Opportunity to Ballot means voters are free to write any individual's name in. An opportunity to ballot is the result of petitioning within an election district and if valid petitions are submitted with enough signatures, this opens the the ballot for a write-in.

Monroe County has no shortage of primaries, with the number of contests for a spot on the November ballot being one of the highest in the county’s recent history. Enough interest has been generated that on Sept. 15 primaries will select 35 candidates for the general election. The relatively high number of primaries may be a sign of a surge in grass-roots politics — a belief that local elections make a difference.

In Mendon, for example, there are two “opportunity-to-ballot” primaries for the Independence Party line. These primaries give voters in that party an opportunity to write in a candidate on primary day. Signatures from just 5 percent of the 259 Independence voters in Mendon were needed to hold such a primary. For the Independence line for supervisor, no candidate is on the ballot, so whoever gets the most write-in votes wins that party’s line on the general ballot. And for town justice, Cara Briggs, who is the Republican candidate for town justice, got the Independence Party’s endorsement and then obtained the necessary 13 signatures to qualify for the ballot. But a primary was forced because a petitioner obtained the needed 13 votes to allow write-ins.

Clarkstown.

John Maloney & George Hoehmann are the endorsed candidates of the Working Families Party, but their endorsements are being threatened by a pair of party raiders. So you can imagine our surprise when the Board of Elections notified us of Opportunity to Ballot petitions filed for Clarkstown Town Council, which forces a write in primary and jeopardizes John Maloney’s endorsement.

Columbia County Democrats will be fighting a number of Opportunity to Ballot petitions

Hudson

Ward 4, District 1: Supervisor

Vote for one: Independence Party; opportunity to ballot

Vote for one: Conservative Party; Samuel Santiago, opportunity to ballot

Canaan

District 1 and 2: Supervisor

Vote for one: Independence Party; Party Richard Keaveney, opportunity to ballot

Vote for one: Conservative Party; Richard Keaveney, opportunity to ballot

Copake

District 1 and 2: Town Justice

Vote for one: Independence Party; Brian J. Herman, William Kane

District 1 and 2: Assessor

Vote for one: Independence Party; David Gordineer, Loredana Delventhal

Taghkanic

District 1: Supervisor

Vote for one: Independence Party; Elizabeth L. Young, Loretta Hoffmann

District 1: Town Clerk/Tax Collector

Vote for one: Independence Party; Cheryl E. Rogers, opportunity to ballot

District 1: Town Justice

Vote for one: Working Families Party; opportunity to ballot

District 1: Town Council

Vote for two: Independence Party; Tom Kiely, Larry Kadish, opportunity to ballot

District 1: Town Council

Vote for two: Working Families Party; Joyce Thompson, opportunity to ballot

District 1: Highway Superintendent

Vote for one: Independence Party; Edward E. Waldron, opportunity to ballot

Vote for one: Working Families Party; opportunity to ballot

Independents and minor parties are alive and doing well in NY.

Michael H. Drucker
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Feeding America

Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.

Use the above link for more information and how you can help.

Other Grassroot Campaigns

Macy's COME+TOGETHER

Bono's ONE

THE HUNGER SITE

Cheesecake Factory's DRIVE OUT HUNGER TOUR

ConAgra Foods Foundations's NOURISH KIDS TODAY

Michael H. Drucker
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